Partition in jail construction and speaking panel therefor



1 Nov. 24 1925- 1,562,811

M. J. TRACY PARTITION IN JAIL CONSTRUCTION? AND SPEAKING PANEL THEREFOR Fild-June 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i To all whom it may concern:

Patented Nov. 24, 1925 UNITED STATES MICHAEL J. TRACY, on ST. Louis, MISSOURI, AssIeNoR TO PAULY'JAIL BUILDING PATENT-OFFICE.

' coiv ranv, or sax oUIs, ivussoum, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI.

, Beitj known that'Lf-MICHAEL J TRACY, a citizen of the United States, residingat St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful I'mprovements'in Partitions in JailConstruction and Speak- 1 ing Panels Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in jail construction and more particularly to the construction of the partition between the prisoners exercise corridor and the visitors corridor the nature of the inv'ention being better apparent from the detailed description thereof'in the "specification and as also pointed out in the claims. The object of the invention is to provide a partition that will be proof against jail delivery but at the same time will permit of conversation therethrough. Heretofore the partition between the prisoners exercise corridor and the visitors corridor generally consisted of two screens spaced approximately a foot apart, the purpose of the two screens being to prevent a visitor from passing forbidden objects through the partition -to the prisoner. However, even though the screens were made of comparatively small mesh it is common for visitors to pass tools, such as saws, through the interstices. of the screen, as well .as. narcotics and liquor. Of course this is what the builders of jails strive to avoid but with more or less indifferent success.

In the present construction of partitions the disadvantages of the double screen, are eliminated by building the partition of tool proof steel except for a certain intermediate portion thereof which is provided with windows of wire glass, the composition of which is such as to defy destruction by ordinary means. I Then too. the windows are of such 1 size (approximately-4 x 18 inches) that even though it were possible. for the prisoner to destroy the glass thereof the opening would not be sufliciently large to. permit egress therethrough. Centrally located .with respect to the glass panels is what I choose to term a speaking panel, this speaking panel constituting the principal subject matter of the presentinvention. The advantages of my improved partition including the speaking panel will be better apparent from a de- Application fiid ,:ran s,

PARTITION INJAIL- ooivstrnncrion AND SPEAKING PANEL THEREFOR. I 19 251, Serial No. 34,582.

tailed description of the invention in connection with. the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents adiagrammatic plan vention; Fig. 3' is a horizontal cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.2;Fig. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of m novel speaking panel; and Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a horizontalcross-section take on the line 66 of Fig. 4..

Referring to the drawings, and for the instant to the jail lay-out in Fig. 1, C, C, etc. represent prisoners cells communicating with the prisoners exercise corridor C. On the outside of the exercise corridor C is the j ailers corridor J- and at one end ofjthe building is the visitors corridor V adjacent to both the ends of the jailers corridor and the end of prisoners exercise corridor. 'Between the visitors corridor and theprisoners exercise corridor is a partition 1 con- .of tool proof steel plate and is provided with openings 3. in which are fittednonfrangible glass 'panels 4,'said panels being".

constructed of wire glass of such composition that it will resist the attacks byordi- 'nary instruments and will not be shattered by blows of such articles as generally come into the hands of inmates. The muntins5 between the )anels 4 are likewise constructed of tool proo steel. In order that conversa tion may be carried on between the parties on opposite sides of partition 1 I insert whatI term a speaking panel in the parti tion, the same being centrally disposed with respect to the panels 4:. This speaking panel comprises a casing 6 composed of tool' proof steel, the inner wall 7 and the outer wall 8 thereof each having a large number of small perforations 0. Within the box 6 area plurality (in the present case, three) of battle plates 9, 9 and 9", the baflie plate 9 having three horizontally disposed slots 10 equally spaced and extending from side to side thereof while the bafiie plates 9 and 9" have two horizontally disposed slots 11 and 11 respectively extending from side to side. It will be observed that the slots 11 and 11 are in alinement but said slots are staggered with relation to theslots 10, the

' effect of which is to prevent the insertion of its impinging on the bafiie- 9". Thus, the

present arrangement of the slots in the baffles 9, 9 and 9 is of great importance as it has been found in practice that this arrangement is the simplest arrangement that will effectively prevent the passing of articles through the speaking box. The perforations in the walls 7 and 8 together with the slots in the panels readily permit of the passage of sound through the speaking box so that a conversation can easily be carried on between parties on opposite sides of the speaking box. At the same time such parties are conversing they may also see each other through the glass panels 4.

From the foregoing description it must be apparent that I have provided a jail partition that while readily permitting of the passage of sound therethrough is at the same time proof against jail delivery and also proof against illicit trafiic in forbidden articles therethrough.

\Vhile I have described my improved partition construction and speaking panel as being applicable to jails, obviously it may be used with equal advantage in other inprincipally of tool proof steel plate, saidplate having a speaking panel therein com prising a casing having perforate front and rear walls. a

3, A speaking panel adapted for insertion into a partition, said panel comprising a casing having perforate front and rear walls, and a plurality of baflies within the casing.

4. A speaking panel adapted for insertion into a partition, said panel comprising a casing having perforate front and rear walls, and a plurality of slotted baflies in said casing.

A speaking panel adapted for inser tion into apartition, said panel comprising a casing having perforate front and rear tool-proof steel walls, and a plurality of baffles within the casing.

6. A speaking panel adapted for insertion into a partition, said panel comprising a casing having perforate front and rear walls, a plurality of slotted battles in said casing, the slots of one battle being staggered with relation to the slots of the next adjacent baffie.

7. A speaking panel adapted for insertion into a partition, said panel comprising a casing having perforate front and rear walls, aplurality of slotted baffles disposed across the inside of said casing, the slots of two adjacent panels being disposed in alignment. and the slots of the next adjacent baflie being staggered with relation to said aligning slots.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

MICHAEL. J. TR ACY. 

